Ruth, one of the country’s staunchest advocates against declawing, forwarded a couple of photographs to me of a red, spotted tabby-and-white cat being declawed together with a photograph of the cat after being declawed. The screenshot is below.
Jim, a visitor comments (see below): “The woman on the left is the vet and the one who, according to the post, threw the severed cat toes at a third person, apparently a student intern, who was the one who took the photo and wrote the comments. The cat on the right is not the same cat as the one on the left…but apparently was subjected to declawing. It’s still very disturbing and discouraging.” This clears things up. My description off the photos is not accurate with respect to the parties but it does not change what is happening with respect to ethics and moral code.
Perhaps I needn’t add words to this page but I will add a few. I am compelled to. I presume the photograph on the left shows the veterinarian and his assistant declawing this cat. I don’t know the name of the person who made the comments which are below the photograph but they are crass beyond belief and appear to be made by the vet. The behaviour of this couple of medics during the declawed operation is highly objectionable. It is nauseous.
The veterinarian is laughing at the fact that his assistant threw at him the fragments of bone and the claws that had been amputated from this cat’s smashed toes. He actually finds it amusing. Amusing for God’s sake! Only a vet who is completely desensitised to the reality of what he is doing could behave in this manner. And then to post the photos online. Extraordinary. Update: Please read the comments by Ruth on this as she has a better grasp of the ‘players’. This article was written from the screenshot alone.
In the picture on the right we see the aftermath of the declawing operation. This is the classic, fearful, racked with pain, face and posture of a cat who has suffered 10 amputations at the same time, which all took place within about 15 minutes and therefore the operation is quite likely a botch. The vet or assistant finds the photo amusing for some macabre reason.
I am shocked and I am in despair because these vets certainly do not care and by that I mean the vets who genuinely believe that declawing is acceptable and which is part of their culture. Shame on him and her. They are not fit to be veterinary medics.
To be an excellent vet you have to have empathy with the patient. That is as important as knowledge and skill. It is also telling that a trainee vet (if I am correct) is doing the operation. It tells us how routine and unimportant it is to the clinic.
That poor cat in the corner brought tears to my eyes.
I can hardly bear it.
The clinic has been named all over face book, it’s no secret. The vet declawing the cat is Dr. Jill Colburn. Moonbrook Veterinary Hospital, Jamestown, New York but the intern’s name isn’t known.
If the name of this clinic can be unearthed this clinic and the names of the veterinarian AND assistant should be reported to the AVMA. While the wimpy AVMA has not taken a proactive stand against declawing domestic housecats, these “practitioners” should be sanctioned. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes in many of these clinics that routinely declaw.
I bet they laugh all the way to the banks with the money they are making. Shame Shame on them- may they rot in hell.
Terrible, terrible pictures and awful heartless cruel comments, probably what we all suspected, but hoped, wasn’t happening, this is probably just the tip of the iceberg, we know that people in certain jobs get desensitised to what they do, and to think that this callous disrespect and uncaring attitude goes on behind closed doors is bad enough, but then for these people to share pictures, and worse, comments such as these is shocking. “Ha ha”? My God what have these people got for hearts? Stones?
Yes the woman vet Jill who is doing the surgery threw the cats severed toe ends at the assistant who is the person who posted the photos and reckoned it was a good day.
Some one has said the cat in the cage isn’t the same cat, but if so, she has obviously been declawed too by her cringing in the corner. The comment ‘poor kitty ha ha’ shows the total disrespect the poster has for cats.
Here is another picture popped up today, not the same clinic but the same disrespect! Healthy toe ends kept as souvenirs and the ‘ha ha’
How can anyone trust any clinic that has vets who declaw?
The clinic’s facebook page has been deluged with comments and surprise surprise they have deactivated the page, but they can’t stop us emailing them!!!!
This sickening cruel surgery must be stopped.
American and Canadian cat lovers BOYCOTT declaw clinics if you possibly can, how can you possibly leave your cat where their fear and pain and disabling surgery is laughed at!
I think that the woman is the actual vet.
Either way, both need to be slapped to sleep for callousness and cruelty.
God help these innocent kitties.